Kingdom's Bloodline, page 552
When he was interrupted, Ricky became quiet. He lowered his eyes and muttered to himself before he looked up.
“The prisoners in the White Prison have been released. They are pillaging the camp and starting a rebellion,” Ricky said naturally, and was not the least bit alarmed.
Ricky continued to smile and say, “The military supply that holds the key to the garrison’s survival is burning in flames. This will shake the military to its core.”
His words caused a commotion among the cavaliers again. Ricky glanced in the direction of the camp and clicked his tongue before he said,
“But now, the Western Desert suzerains, who are the only ones in the camp with a garrison and have the capability to handle the situation, are caught in an internal strife and are on the verge of a mutiny over an aristocratic feud. As for the seventh level alarm, which is also the highest level emergency in the camp…”
Ricky grinned as he listened to the sound of the horn that was clear and faint at times.
“Outside the camp, the mixed breeds and the Barren Bone people, led by the Shattered Stone tribe and Seralon tribe, have just snuck back. They are prepared to use the opportunity when the people of Blade Fangs Camp can hardly look after themselves to ambush and invade the camp. They will plunder to their hearts’ content, and they will wipe off the insult they suffered eleven years ago in the Desert War.”
‘The Shattered Stone tribe?’ Thales was shocked!
The militants all over the sand dunes finally burst into uproar!
The middle-aged knight, Frank, was at first stupefied, before he roared in anger, “F*ck you—”
Roman suddenly raised his hand and stopped Frank’s cursing. In the next moment, the militants went quiet. No one dared to whisper anymore.
Roman looked up and glanced at the camp from which plumes of black smoke continued to rise.
“Indeed, sellsword, you have surpassed my expectations,” Roman said coldly.
Ricky nodded. He looked rather emotional. “It has been an extraordinary night, and we did run into some small surprises.”
The two men were quiet for a few seconds. In the next moment, Roman suddenly said, “So, what do you want?”
When they heard this, the Royal Guards, Frank, and Felicia watched the Legendary Wing in astonishment.
Ricky laughed. “You are sharp indeed, sir.” He stood up, gestured in his subordinates’ direction, and bowed with respect.
“We, the amicable and good-natured Blood Whistle, your mercenary comrades…” Ricky curled a finger, and Klein immediately smacked an unconscious captive awake before he brought him forward. “We present to you the person who has the greatest authority over Shadow Shield in Northland, Stake.”
As Ricky watched how Stake put on a terrified expression before the cavaliers—in battle formation—when he woke up, he smiled faintly.
“His appearance will cause the assassins who started the rebellion in secret to give up and disperse.”
The Legendary Wing frowned and did not speak.
“We will also return the only heir of Constellation, Prince Thales Jadestar.” Ricky extended his hand towards Thales, who was not too far away from them. The latter could not help but grit his teeth. “His identity should be sufficient to suppress the rebellious Western Desert suzerains in your camp.”
Ricky watched the man’s expression and seized the opportunity to smile modestly.
“Of course, we will also provide an opportunity for you to do so.” Ricky pointed at the camp in the distance with black smoke rising from it. “It’s an opportunity where you will not need to waste your time and resources on us bumpkins who have hostages in our hands. You can use that chance to command your army and put an end to the chaos. You can turn the tide in the camp.”
Now, even Zakriel began to frown and scrutinize the man again. This man had been a crazy and malevolent demon hungry for battle a moment ago, but now, he had become the reliable and wise man named Crassus once more.
The Legendary Wing still did not say a word.
“We, the Blood Whistles, would like to buy our lives, safety and freedom from you, in exchange for all of the above.” Ricky nodded respectfully.
Chapter 477: Something Lighter |
The shade of scarlet in the east began to wane and the sky grew brighter… but the atmosphere in the desert became increasingly strange.
Under the countless pairs of eyes, Roman, who was as stunning as a painting, stared coldly at Ricky, whose clothes and armor were damaged and was covered in blood, but also had no external wounds.
Thales breathed in deeply and turned to look at his surroundings. The cavaliers were in position, the mercenaries were nervous, the Royal Guards were filled with complicated emotions, and the smoke-shrouded Blade Fangs Camp looked like an exquisite miniature model of itself from afar.
He was deep in thought.
Finally, the Legendary Wing turned his head to look at Stake, who was guarded by Klein. Roman gazed into Stake’s eyes which filled with indignation and agony, and softly said, “Shadow… Shield?”
Stake returned the gaze of this handsome man before him and realized something. He stopped struggling pointlessly, and instead furrowed his eyebrows as he was immersed in his thoughts.
“More than that.” Ricky raised his arms with a smile on his face. “His relationship with everyone present here is more complicated than that. Other than being the mastermind behind most of the mayhem tonight…”
The leader of Disaster Swords pointed at the Blade Fangs Camp in the distance. His voice was mysterious.
“He was the main culprit behind the incident eighteen years ago. He colluded with the enemies, infiltrated Blade Fangs Dune, assassinated Herman Jadestar, and caused the camp to fall into enemy hands.”
Thales sighed. Stake closed his eyes indignantly.
In that second, the desert fell silent. The only sound they heard was the swooshing of the desert wind. Even the frightening gaze of the Legendary Wing had frozen.
In the next second, commotion erupted among the military officers in the first row of the cavaliers.
“What?” Frank furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. “You’re saying… Ghost Prince Tower? And… the fall of the camp into enemy hands?… This man?”
In that very instant, countless eyes moved onto Stake at once. Ricky nodded and watched the commotion he caused with satisfaction on his face.
“A surprising gift, am I right?”
Zakriel, who sat on the ground—because it was clear that he was utterly exhausted—looked profoundly at Stake.
“Well damn, Samel, that fellow…” Barney Junior shoved Samel away from him, but did not continue to fight. Perhaps it was because of the bows and arrows around them. “You knew this all along?”
Samel merely pursed his lips and did not speak.
In this slightly chaotic situation, Thales looked at the man who had the greatest authority to steer the conversation. The Legendary Wing did not speak, nor did he suppress the commotion among his subordinates.
The knight in white only stared at Stake, whose eyes were closed. The knight’s attitude to the situation was unknown, and he did not move.
“That’s impossible!” Felicia the knight clenched her teeth while on her horse. It was clear that she had recalled an unpleasant memory. “I saw the execution site when I was little. The king had already dealt with the assassins who were there that night—”
But at that very moment, Roman, who had been silent, finally raised his right hand.
The whispers and discussions among the army ended right then. It was as though the raised hand signified supreme authority. Soon enough, the mercenaries and Royal Guards quieted down as well. Everyone wore a solemn face as they watched Roman’s actions nervously.
However, the Legendary Wing only turned his head slightly to look at Ricky. “Evidence?”
Ricky smirked. He reached for his chest confidently. “I have a letter…”
But as he spoke, Ricky suddenly thought of something. He put down his hand and looked at the prince in the distance with a strange expression.
“Ahem, I was saying… our prince has a letter left by the late Prince Herman. The inscription and the date of the day he died were written on it. It was the ‘trophy’ taken by this leader of assassins that day.”
Stake opened his eyes and stared at Ricky incredulously.
Roman immediately shifted his gaze to Thales. Thales shuddered, as if he was struck by lightning.
Yodel’s voice rang in the air, it slipped into Thales’ ear. “Hand it to him.”
Thales frowned and glanced at the Legendary Wing’s flawless face, but in the end, he took out the letter obediently and passed it on with a trembling hand.
Roman remained silent for a second or two as he looked at the fancy paper. He then slowly took the letter, unfolded it, and began to read it. Stake’s expression became even more dejected. Ricky remained silent while he waited.
At last, Roman put down the letter under the watch of thousands of pairs of eyes.
Ricky breathed out. “See, I am not lying to you. So…”
The Legendary Wing did not speak. His amber eyes flashed with a dim glimmer, and within them was the reflection of the boundless desert.
“Ah, Crassus… Did you think that if you used me and the prince as your leverage, he will let you go?” At that moment, Stake let out a laugh of despair with a dejected look on his face. “He is the Legendary Wing. He is decisive, relentless, cold, and cruel.”
Under the hateful gaze of everyone around him, Stake stared coldly at Ricky, the man who just sold him out, and said spitefully, “Whether he fancies your threat or not, clearly, wiping all of you out at once is more to his benefit.”
The looks on the mercenaries’ faces instantly turned grim.
At that very moment, a voice that seemed out of place rose up.
“Ahem, um…”
The crowd frowned and turned to look at the teenager who had been neglected this whole time.
“Can I have it back?”
Thales ignored Yodel’s anxious warning from behind him. He scratched his head, smiled foolishly, and extended a hand to Roman.
“You know… since it belonged to my… uncle?”
Everyone gawked at him. Then, as if someone pierced a balloon, the tense atmosphere instantly disappeared.
Roman scowled for a few seconds. He looked like he wanted to re-evaluate the teenager who dared to interrupt him once more. And Thales could only brace himself to endure Roman’s stare. His smile was stiff.
Fortunately, perhaps it was because his identity had been verified, the Legendary Wing did not threaten to kill him again. Instead, he extended his hand in silence and returned the letter to Thales.
“Tick-tock.” Ricky mimicked the sound of a clock with his eyes narrowed. “Time is passing, sir.” He pointed at the smoke-shrouded Blade Fangs Camp in the distance.
Roman did not answer. Instead, he turned to face the third sand dune. “Duro?”
On the third sand dune, a brawny knight dressed in rather casual attire rode out from a group of cavaliers and came before the Legendary Wing.
Thales and Quick Rope were both startled—they recognized him.
It was Duro. He was the Psionic Warrior they met on their way back, the Boss of the Freak Squad from the Stardust Unit.
“The boys are ready, sir,” Duro, whose left arm was much more muscular than the right, answered respectfully. “They can go anytime.”
Roman stared at the camp in the distance and nodded.
“Of course, if you want to, we can take the prince back right now.” Duro looked at Thales. He obviously did not recognize him, since the prince appeared even scruffier than his last trip into the desert. He then looked the mercenaries contemptuously.
“We can crush them all with a single charge. We won’t even need Carl’s troops.”
Duro’s stare, like the other cavaliers’, was filled with animosity and bloodlust. His words made the mercenaries and Royal Guards nervous.
Only Ricky let out a sigh in a relaxed manner. “I’ll give you another piece of information as a bonus, sir.” The current Crassus of the Disaster Swords narrowed his eyes. “The name of this lieutenant of yours seems to be… Duro?”
In the next second, Ricky pointed at Duro, then at Stake. “He has been selling information to Shadow Shield for a long time.”
Thales frowned. He recalled how prone Duro was to accumulating wealth through unfair means. He also remembered the conversation between the three parties in the tavern.
Duro was startled at first when he was called. His expression changed immediately afterwards.
He charged at Ricky on his horse furiously. “Scr*w your—”
In that very second, Klein and Yosef drew closer to Ricky instinctively, intending to protect the still smiling Ricky. The cavaliers on the first few rows also loaded their bows with arrows and prepared to aim at Ricky. Some of them drew their blades and swords out of their sheaths!
Even Thales felt Yodel’s grip tighten on his arm. The situation immediately fell into chaos.
In that very moment…
*Schink!*
…there was a white flash.
The white spear suddenly appeared in the Legendary Wing’s hands, and he stabbed the sand under him with one hand! In that second, Thales felt as though the air around him had turned into water. All the noise and commotion stopped at once.
Roman began to speak softly, and it was as if he was whispering into everyone’s ears. “Silence.”
Thales felt a shiver. Roman’s words seemed to have some sort of power. It forced the chaotic crowd to stop talking and halt whatever they were doing.
Two seconds passed. Everyone no longer spoke or moved. Order and silence returned to the scene. They heard only the hissing sand in the moaning wind.
The Legendary Wing pulled his spear out of the sand and returned it onto his back. The crowd suddenly remembered how to breathe, as though they had just woken up from a long dream.
“Sir…” Duro’s mount raised its front hooves, hoisting its rider in the air before it stopped in its tracks. Duro pointed at Ricky angrily. His lips trembled with wrath as he began to speak incoherently, “He, he, this son of a b*tch… horrible, horrible man…”
But the Legendary Wing merely glanced at him with indifference. “Is what he just said true?”
When he stared at his commander’s face, Duro instantly became tongue-tied. But he immediately replied, “Impossible. I don’t know this so-called assassin…”
However, Ricky gently pushed Josef—who was protecting him—out of his way. He chuckled and said, “But he told me that your wife and daughter are terribly ill, am I right?”
Duro was dumbfounded.
“Perhaps you would do something unusual to save them?”
Duro clenched his teeth in rage. He glanced at the cavaliers around him and angrily said, “Don’t slander my name, you motherf*ck—”
At that moment, the Legendary Wing spoke again, “I. Abhor. Quarrels.”
These three words were like verses from the holy scripture; they instantly silenced both Duro and Ricky.
Roman raised his head slowly, and his gaze pierced through Duro like lightning.
“You only need to tell me whether the answer is yes or no.”
Duro panicked. “Of course not! I was trained and taught personally by you. I have always been loyal to y—”
However, he was interrupted by his commander once more. “But you do not sound very certain.” The Legendary Wing’s voice was calm and hollow, as if it came from the sky.
Duro was instantly stunned. He stared into his commander’s eyes and lowered his head subconsciously, as if he had begun to hesitate.
“They… my wife and daughter are quite ill, sir.” Duro’s tone of voice softened slightly. He rubbed his hands on the reins and said with difficulty, “My wages could not cover the costs. Sometimes, I would think of ways to… earn some money from the merchants.”
The Legendary Wing frowned.
Felicia, who watched Duro as he embarrassed himself, could not help but blurt out, “Sir, we should deal with this some time later. The camp…”
However, Frank rode to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder before she could finish. The middle-aged knight shook his head at the puzzled Felicia.
Thales, being one of the spectators, frowned slightly.
“Earn money? With information?” Ricky snorted lightly, and glanced at Stake. “Your wife and daughter were not sick. They were just poisoned by these assassins on a regular basis.”
In that second, Duro’s expression finally changed. He turned to look at Stake, who looked like he was ready to accept death.
“What?” Ricky said sarcastically, “No need to thank me, but this is the cause of their illness.”
Beside him, the bound Stake laughed so hard he could barely sit straight.
The Legendary Wing stared at Duro in silence. “So, you were indeed selling our information?”
Duro’s face turned red in anger. He glanced at the colleagues around him, panicking.
“They was just some insignificant information. You know, that Blade Fangs Camp doesn’t have a police station; the merchants are always worried about public security, and wanted to get some insider intel—”
His colleague, Frank let out a faint sigh. But Roman interrupted Duro again.
“For example, the information about the assembly of armies from other regions in Blade Fangs Camp, and the large-scale dispatchment of our main regular army this time?”
Duro was at a loss for words. “I…” He was terribly frightened, and he was stupefied by the accusations and questions that came one after another. “But sir, I had no idea that those ‘merchants’… I had no idea they were…”
The Legendary Wing responded with indifference.
Felicia could not bear to watch this anymore. “Sir,” she said tentatively, “We sh-should go back to help the camp—”
But Roman interrupted her without hesitation. “The camp will stand firm and guarded against danger for eternity.” He peered at Duro’s sweat-covered face. The coldness in his voice even affected the air around them. “…But that is not always the case with my lieutenants.”
